Minnetonka football coach Dave Nelson battling prostate cancer

Minnetonka football coach Dave Nelson will undergo surgery in April for prostate cancer.

Nelson, 55, was diagnosed in January. He said doctors caught the cancer early and expect both the surgery and long-term outcome to be successful. Nelson will have surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

“Everything will be all right," Nelson said. "Prostate cancer is really curable. I expect to miss a few weeks and then I’ll be back at it.”

A Facebook page entitled “Pray For Coach Dave Nelson As He Battles Prostate Cancer” was started by some of Nelson’s former players. He coached at Blaine for 18 seasons and won the 1988 big school state championship. He left Blaine for Minnetonka in 2002 and led the Skippers to the 2004 Class 5A state football championship.

“It’s nice to win football games but I’d much rather know that former players still care about me,” Nelson said. “Actually, it’s nice to do both.”